Chapter 15: Love Rival, He Fights and Fights Jingwen Suddenly "Poof..."
Jing Wen suddenly knelt down and said, "Your Highness, please understand! The master did not sleep all night last night... to learn how to please the princess... Such intentions are witnessed by heaven and earth!"
”
"oh!"
Song Youning supported his chin and looked him up and down curiously.
"Jingwen, stop talking nonsense." Li Funing rarely lost his composure.
Song Youning moved closer and suddenly pulled something out of his sleeve.
Half a wrinkled folk story book.
“Chapter 1: The Art of Moderate Compromise.”
She read it aloud, raised an eyebrow at him, and laughed out loud: "Master Li's habit of hiding things in his sleeves seems to be unchangeable."
Li Funing: ...
Song Youning flipped through the book and looked up at him. "Master Li, which chapter have you reached?"
Li Funing didn't speak
Song Youning shook the storybook between her fingertips, causing the pages to rustle. She suddenly narrowed her eyes and spoke in a long tone, "Master Li..."
"You're actually reading a pirated novel?" She rested the book's spine against her chin, looking distraught. "If the people know what to make of me, the princess, their own husband actually buys pirated books?"
Li Funing finally raised his head and stared at her in confusion.
"This book..." Song Youning flipped through the pages, and suddenly her green fingertips paused. "It was originally written by Mu Qi from my bookshop. I think it's really... not presentable."
She curled her lips and said, "So I let him go." She suddenly leaned closer and said with a smile, "I didn't expect Lord Li to like this?"
The tips of Li Funing's ears suddenly turned red, and even his neck was covered with a thin layer of red.
He turned his face away suddenly, his jawline tense, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
Song Youning almost laughed out loud when she saw him like this. The crimson color spread from the base of his ears to the depth of his collar, as if rouge juice could be squeezed out. She moved her fingertips and resisted the urge to poke his hot earlobe.
"Ahem..." She cleared her throat, rolled her eyes, and suddenly pointed out the window.
"Speaking of which, there is a gambling house worth a lot of money over there. If Lady Li is interested... go with me and have a look." Song Youning caught a glimpse of Li Funing's tense shoulders relaxing slightly.
The evening breeze blew through the hall, dispelling some of the heat. Song Youning frowned quietly. If he continued teasing, this proud cat would probably explode.
She stuffed the book into her clothes when he was not paying attention.
"good"
Li Funing, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.
"So good." Song Youning had a sly smile in her eyes and reached out to rub the top of his head. Unexpectedly, Lord Li, who was usually dignified and self-respecting, lowered his head slightly and rubbed gently against her palm like a cat whose fur was being stroked.
The rubbing made her fingertips burn. The originally meticulously tied black hair was rubbed out by her, and a few strands of hair were loosened and fell messily in front of her forehead, which made her look more cute and innocent.
Song Youning felt as if a feather was gently brushing against the tip of her heart. This childish Li Funing was much cuter than the usual stern Lord Li.
Half an hour later, the two of them came to Wanjin Casino together
The gambling house was filled with smoke and the sounds of dice and shouting mixed together.
Song Youning disguised herself as a man and blended into the crowd. She was very comfortable in the gambling house and it was obvious that she was a regular customer.
Li Funing followed her closely, his elegant demeanor being totally out of place in this place, attracting the attention of people around him.
Song Youning wandered around the casino for a long time but didn't see the rumored God of Gamblers.
"Go back."
Song Youning turned around, looked at Li Funing who was being squeezed to the ground, and reached out to hold him.
At this time, Li Funing's clothes were slightly messy and his hair crown was a little crooked.
Lord Li, who was always meticulous, looked a little embarrassed at this moment.
She couldn't help laughing out loud: "Lord Li, if those old-fashioned people in the court saw you like this, they would probably blame me for leading you astray..."
Li Funing lowered his eyes to look at her, the panic in his eyes still not completely fading: "I'm glad that Your Highness is alright."
"Our place is protected by someone above us! Money is sent to that mansion like water every month..."
Song Youning looked over and saw several people gambling and showing off while drunk.
"Above?" Song Youning murmured softly.
"It seems that this gambling house is not simple..." Li Funing's aura suddenly became stern, and he was about to rush into the gambling house. It looked as if he was going to seal up the casino on the spot.
"Don't worry," Song Youning grabbed his wrist, her eyes signaling him not to alert the enemy. Seeing him freeze, she leaned in and whispered, a smile playing on her lips, "Let me teach you..." Suddenly, she pulled out the folding fan from his waist and opened it with a "swish".
"A gambling house..."
She half-closed her fan, and her eyes flickered as she put on the demeanor of a dandy young man. After saying "I have my own rules", she swaggered over, shaking the purse at her waist.
She casually threw the purse from her waist onto the card table: "I'm betting big, place your bet."
The waiter at the card table came over immediately and said flatteringly, "Quick, place your bet for me," and took the opportunity to wink at the person who played the cards.
Song Youning watched the two of them secretly fiddling around, smiled, and said nothing...
In just half an hour, Song Youning "lost" all the money in his wallet.
She pretended to be angry and slammed the table, saying, "This lousy gambling house is definitely cheating! Call your boss out!"
The thugs laughed: "Young Master, we don't have a boss here, we only have a chief shopkeeper."
She sneered: "Then call your shopkeeper! I must get an explanation today!"
Half a minute later, a middle-aged man in brocade clothes walked out.
"Sir, what advice do you have?"
The man had a smooth smile, but his eyes were sinister, and it was obvious that he was not an ordinary casino owner.
Song Youning squinted
Sitting on the gambling table with his legs crossed, he flicked a gold ingot with his fingertips and said lazily, "Are you the head shopkeeper?"
The thug sneered: "Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to our boss like that?"
She raised her eyelids and said, "I'm your master's creditor."
The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes slightly, not quite believing what he said: "Sir? Which sir?"
She keenly noticed the shopkeeper's pupils suddenly shrink, and her right hand subconsciously reached into her sleeve and slapped the princess token on the table.
"Why, haven't your parents taught you that?" She sneered, "When you meet someone 'above', you should kneel down and answer them."
The shopkeeper cautiously probed: "Young Master, are you...?"
She brushed her sleeves carelessly. "The money I withdrew from the Ice Bank for the princess last month wasn't in the correct account."
(Ice storage is a slang term for stolen money)
"So the money that Mr. Zhou took from the casino was bribed to the princess." The thugs whispered to each other.
"No wonder. I heard that Princess Youning often travels around and is a frequent visitor to taverns and casinos. She is unbeatable in all the casinos. It makes sense for Lord Zhou to bribe the princess."
"Yeah yeah……"
“…” The thugs were discussing in great detail, their arguments making sense.
Shopkeeper Liu broke out in a cold sweat and sank to his knees. "This, this is impossible... I am only responsible for handing the money over to Mr. Zhou. I don't know who he gave the money to."
"It was your Lord Zhou who asked me to come and get the silver. You said you didn't know?"
Song Youning slammed the table, causing the teacup to clink. "Do you know what happens if you offend the princess?"
Shopkeeper Liu's face turned pale.
Shopkeeper Liu fell to his knees, sweat dripping from his face. "I sent the silver to Lord Zhou's residence long ago. If anyone was to embezzle it, it would only be Zhou Xian! I'm just an ordinary person. I would never dare to deceive the princess!"
He trembled as he pulled out an account book from his bosom and presented it with both hands: "This, this is the record of every time Mr. Zhou withdrew money... and there is also a receipt signed by him!"
Song Youning was flipping through the account book when his fingertips suddenly paused.
In the corner of one page was written: "On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, pay Zhou Xian three thousand taels."
On a certain page it was clearly written: On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, fifty thousand taels of gold will be handed over to the disciples of Grand Tutor Chen.
She narrowed her eyes... Grand Tutor Chen? Interesting. The one who competed for power with Li Funing's father?
"Shopkeeper Liu."
She suddenly leaned over and lifted his chin with her folding fan. "Tell me...what would happen if Zhou Xian knew that you showed the account book to me without my knowledge?"
Shopkeeper Liu's face was ashen, and he trembled as he said, "Master Zhou is ruthless. I kept this account book behind Master Zhou's back. I was afraid that Master Zhou would kill people to silence them, so I kept the evidence..."
She chuckled: "How about this, you continue to be the shopkeeper, and I will pretend that I have never seen this account book, and you will pretend that I have never been here."
"But every month when Zhou Xian comes to collect the money..." She lowered her voice, "Send a copy to me as well. I must also know about anyone who has contact with Zhou Xian. Let me ask you, this disciple of Master Chen has always been secretive. How did you know about this..."
"My Lord?"
Shopkeeper Liu raised his head suddenly and repeated it with trembling lips.
The next second, his face turned pale, as if someone had suddenly grabbed his throat.
Song Youning's heart skipped a beat.
It’s bad, I let it slip.
The gambling house suddenly became eerily quiet.
The thugs froze in their places, and Shopkeeper Liu slammed his head heavily onto the ground: "Your Highness, spare my life..."
Shopkeeper Liu raised his head tremblingly: "That man said it himself. At that time, they had a dispute in my gambling house. I was afraid that it would affect me, so I wanted to go forward to persuade them, but I accidentally heard the two of them threatening each other. That man said that he was a disciple of the Grand Tutor, and that Lord Zhou was still one level away from the Grand Tutor. He wanted to go over him and take credit from the Grand Tutor. It was really wishful thinking." Shopkeeper Liu's forehead was covered in blood and flesh, it was a horrible sight.
Song Youning thought for a moment, then took off his hat, letting his long black hair fall down over his shoulders.
"Now that you know everything..."
She walked slowly towards the pale-faced Shopkeeper Liu and stepped on his trembling fingers.
"Then I'll say it directly. If even one word gets out today, I'll show you how to spell the word 'death'. If you do as I say, not only will you be safe, but you'll also be blessed with wealth and glory..."
"Yes, yes, yes," everyone responded, knocking their heads to the ground, looking like they were afraid of death.
"Song Youning, you are so majestic."
A laughing voice came from the second floor.
Song Youning rolled his eyes.
The beaded curtain rustled, and the young man in red riding clothes leaned lazily on the railing: "How long have we not seen? Why are you so fierce?"
Song Youning raised her head and glanced upwards, then sternly said, "Xiao Lin, if you dare to address me by my name again, I'll spank you!"
In the entire Dagan area, besides her parents, the only person who dared to call her by her full name was that brain-dead idiot, Xiao Lin.
The son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, if Li Funing is the most polite childhood sweetheart, then Xiao Lin is the most lawless one.
Back then, she and Xiao Lin, one tearing off the tiles and the other releasing the dogs, made the whole Bianjing a mess, and they were called "the two evil spirits of Bianjing". Everyone in the capital knew that once the two of them joined forces, someone would definitely suffer. Mainly because of their noble status, no one could do anything about them.
Xiao Lin turned over and jumped down from the second floor. His red clothes fluttered like flames and he landed steadily on the ground.
He tilted his head to look at Song Youning, his smile wantonly and brazenly asking for a beating: "Why, you didn't even say hello?"
Song Youning subconsciously took a half step back, but bumped into a warm chest.
Li Funing had been standing behind her without her knowing, his palm resting lightly on her waist, vaguely asserting his sovereignty.
"Prince Xiao."
Li Funing's voice was cold and his eyes were like sharp blades: "Please be careful."
Xiao Lin raised his eyebrows and leaned close to Song Youning's ear, breathing hotly: "Song Youning, why are you being controlled by your old-fashioned prince consort again? Do you need this prince to save you?"
He suddenly leaned close to her ear and said, "Escape with me, just like we did a few years ago..."
Xiao Lin whispered in her ear again, "Let's run far away this time, to Jiangnan, to the Western Regions, to the Northern Border, to some place where they can't find us..."
Song Youning's eyes lit up.
Jiangnan, what a great place... The beauties in Jiangnan are truly unique!!!
Li Funing's knuckles turned white from rubbing them together in anger. He was clearly so angry that he wanted to kill someone, but he pretended to be calm and composed.
The night of Song Youning's coming-of-age ceremony was supposed to be the day she and he got engaged.
Xiao Lin then climbed over the wall and entered the palace, shouting, "Song Youning, the Western Region caravan has brought fire-breathing camels! Are you going?"
As a result, Song Youning ran away with him that night carrying her wedding dress.
When Li Funing led the imperial guards to the city gate, he only found a letter she had left behind, saying that she was going to travel around the world. Since then, no news has been received.
As a result, this girl had been out there for a few years and had so much fun that she didn't want to go back to the palace. She either wanted to travel with Xiao Lin or to guard the border with Xiao Lin.
All the letters that Li Funing sent every month fell into oblivion, not to mention the marriage between the two.
Or recently, His Majesty wanted to recover the northern border, and he was named by His Majesty to follow his father, the King of Zhenbei, to fight. As a result, the two of them separated, and Song Youning herself disappeared. Later, many of her confidants came to the palace to look for her. How could he not be angry?
His Majesty was furious and issued an order that whoever found the princess would be the next consort.
The number of candidates for the imperial son-in-law has increased from just Li Funing to twelve now. What's even more infuriating is that Xiao Lin is also on the imperial son-in-law list and has topped the list.
In fact, there were originally two choices for child marriage:
Li Funing, the son of a prime minister, comes from a century-old aristocratic family: he is self-disciplined and respects the rites, well-educated, and capable of governing the country, but too old-fashioned.
A son of the Northern Marquis of Xiaolin Town, a descendant of the nobility: a young general, a master of military strategy, excellent in martial arts, capable of leading troops, but too noisy.
When His Majesty was choosing a son-in-law for Song Youning, he looked at the two children fighting on the roof of the Imperial Study and sighed:
"If these two were to be together, Da Gan might have to change the dynasty ahead of time..." So he strangled their marriage in the cradle.
That's why he chose Li Funing to be trained as the emperor's husband.
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(Ice storage is a slang term for stolen money)
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